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NORTHERN NEWS, FEBRUARY 6, 2013
NEWS
Crown confirms support for Treaty process
Ngapuhi is a step closer to entering
negotiations for a settlement of
Crown breaches and grievances
against Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
A letter was received last week
from Minister for Treaty Negotia-
tions Christopher Finlayson and
Minister of Maori Affairs Pita
Sharples last week confirming the
Crown's support of Te Ropu o
Tuhoronuku's proposed amend-
ments to a deed of mandate to rep-
resent Ngapuhi on its journey to
settlement.
The ministers outline some areas
of detail to be finalised before the
Crown makes a final decision in
mid-July on recognising Tuhoronu-
ku's mandate.
The areas the ministers want
clarification on are around the sepa-
ration of Tuhoronuku from Te
Runanga a Iwi o Ngapuhi, hapu
representation and elections, and
having an independent returning
officer oversee the election process
to the mandated entity. These are
areas largely proposed and agreed
to by Tuhoronuku, so we do not see
them as obstacles to the process,''
Tuhoronuku interim chairman
Raniera (Sonny) Tau says.
Te Ropu o Tuhoronuku, a sub-
committee of the runanga, was
established in 2009 to develop a pro-
cess for Ngapuhi to secure a robust
mandate to represent Ngapuhi.
Once the Crown has formally
recognised Tuhoronuku's mandate,
the Crown and Tuhoronuku will
work together to complete negotia-
tions and develop a Deed of Settle-
ment, Mr Tau says.
This will be the largest settle-
ment since Ngai Tahu and Tainui in
the 1990s. It is hoped that by the
end of 2014 Ngapuhi and the Crown
will be writing a settlement bill.
Go to tuhoronuku.com to view the
ministers' letter in full.
Preschool support given
By HAMISH MacLEAN
Paua power: From left: Tony Stuart, Raewyn Overton-Stuart and Ngahuia Cassidy are hoping to bring some support to those
who are looking after the community's youngest members.
Parents can feel quite
isolated when they're
at home with a child.
Raewyn Overton-Stuart
A NEW level of support for those
taking care of the community's
youngest was welcomed at Kai-
kohe's early childhood education
drop-in centre on January 29.
Ngahuia Cassidy met with
parents, grandparents and other
caregivers at Te Kohekohe to intro-
duce her role as a visiting teacher
for Paua -- Pre-schoolers At-home
Uniquely Achieving.
Ms Cassidy has returned home to
the Far North to bring the home-
based preschool service that
started in Whanganui nearly 10
years ago to her community.
Although it has spread through
the central North Island, Ms Cas-
sidy is the first to bring Paua to this
area.
Paua operates solely on ministry
money, it doesn't take anything
extra for its services but it sets up a
system where parents pay their
children's educators and Paua pas-
ses on their support and any rel-
evant subsidies.
Financial director of Paua, Tony
Stuart, sees an immediate benefit
for some in Kaikohe.
Where there's care happening
already, if it's not happening
through a licensed service then the
parent's not able to get a [Work and
Income] subsidy for the care, but if
they enroll in a service such as Paua
then they can and the caregiver can
be recompensed.''
The Work and Income subsidy
allows for up to nine hours of care
per week.
Paua educators can have up to
four children in their home at one
time, only two under 2-year-olds, for
up to 40 hours a week.
They're really low ratios,'' Paua's
managing director Raewyn
Overton-Stuart says.
As a visiting teacher, Ms Cassidy
will visit homes to provide resources
and support for those who are home
based caregivers.
Mrs Overton-Stuart says that
many in the community already
look after their whanau's young
ones and can benefit from Paua.
It just gives them a little extra
support,'' she says. Aside from a lit-
tle bit of basic training, visiting tea-
chers can offer support, such as pro-
viding access to a mobile toy library.
Ms Cassidy lives in Okaihau but
is originally from Waima. Her links
to the community, Mr Stuart says,
offers Paua a chance to make a dif-
ference here.
After attending Kaikohe West
School, Kaikohe Intermediate and
Northland College she left the area,
but she says that she has begun
reconnecting with people in the
north. She ran the bilingual unit at
Waima for a couple of years when
she met Kelly Yakas.
She was one of my parents,'' Ms
Cassidy says.
And when she came up to Kai-
kohe, she learned of Te Kohekohe,
Kaikohe's early childhood education
drop-in centre on Broadway,
through the council.
Ms Yakas, who started Te Kohe-
kohe last year, says there are a lot
of natural synergies between what
happens at the drop in centre and
the service Paua provides.
Te Kohekohe is about community
and sharing knowledge.
We promote families looking
after and bringing up their children
and Paua provides that oppor-
tunity,'' Ms Yakas says.
There are a lot of nannies, or
sisters, who want to look after their
familes and this provides an awe-
some way for them to do that. And
it also provides employment for
them.''
Ms Yakas says those who come to
Te Kohekohe often prefer not to
enroll in a daycare or an early child-
hood service, but rather have those
who they know really well, such as
families, look after their children.
Te Kohekohe connects families to
service providers and is developing
as a focal point for early childhood
development for some in the com-
munity.
I think that what people love
about it is that there are no strings
attached,'' she says. And even
though they are coming in regu-
larly, people want the freedom to
come in when they can, that it's
their choice and that it's free.''
She says she's seeing a lot of
benefits for the children with the
social interaction that Te Kohekohe
can offer.
Parents do realise how much
knowledge they have,'' she says. But
watching parents come in and share
their knowledge has been important
for Ms Yakas.
The idea of offering support to
caregivers and empowering parents
resonates with Mrs Overton-Stuart.
Parents can feel quite isolated
when they're at home with a child,
especially those with their first
child,'' she says.
Ms Cassidy says Paua educators
will come in and do some of the
Plunket workshops already offered
at Te Kohekohe and she says she
hopes to co-ordinate some play
groups out of the space. And Ms
Cassidy says she will be in the
space with Paua material to make
herself available to those who would
like to learn more about Paua.
The majority of Ms Cassidy's
work though will take place out in
the community.
I'm basically there to be with the
families and with the educators as
much as I can be,'' she says.
Mr Stuart says Paua is strong on
relationships and whanau.
At the end of the day we want to
partner with other services to get
the best outcomes for children and
their families,'' he says.
Call or text Ms Cassidy at
021 830 816, or make a free call to
0800 728 277, to learn more.